New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-16
TIE COOPERS STRIKE.

ne CODptIS odihC, iAhC ~ many oehNA'i 80
collapsed, and the strikers made to pay for
llic losses they have caused. They are perhaps
not ill-plcased to be required to
give up their connection with the
Knights of Labor, for that feeling has been
for some time increasing among many orders
of workingmen 1t would be singular were the
case otherwise for the conduct of the Knights
has been such as inevitably to ALLEVIATE the SYM
pathy of all thinking and self-respccting men,
Offering protection to worl1ingmen, it has never
given them anything Of the kind Pretending
TO be in the interest Of Labor generally, 1t has
acted rs if it were a sworn enemy to that IN
tcrest. It's sole aim apparently, has been to set
ND tho most odious OF monopohes; monopoly
of labor, that is 10 say, depending altogether
mon the subscrvience and abject subordnation
of tho members to dcspotism at once more
irresponsible, caprcious and reckless than that
of any European autocrat 1t has Attempted
to overthrow the laws and institutions OF thc
land, and to degrade American citizens INTO
serfs making them the mere puppets oil lgno-
rant and foolish walking delegates and putting
their daily bread and that Of their wives and
children wholly at the mercy Of lOafcrs ana
dishonest dcmagogucs.
This is what the strikes Of the last twelve
months have proved and the bitter experience
through which so many workingmen nave
passed must have opened the eyes OF most OF
them to the error of their course. 1T Is human
nature to try all the wrong paths before con-
scnting to take the right one. All OF us 90 H.
and it is the regular experience in lcglslauoh'
so that there Is nothing remarkable in the ms
take of the workingmcn. But they no doubt
realize by this time tlat there is no outlet in the
direction they have taken and that the idea OF
4 monopoly maintained by the surrender oil
every right Of citizenship Will have to DC gwen
up. 1t Is bad enough to ask Americans TO JOIN
in preventing their fcllOw-citizens from earning
their living as they please; but when in Order
to acquire the power TO exercise this odiouS
tyranny they are required to abdicatc their own
independence and become the servile tools OF
upstart walking delegates" and greedy
mpudcnt Adventures surely no man with The
spirit Of freedom in his veins can tolerate the
proposition. Add TO all that the project Is
proved impracticable that even with the sur
render Of independence the liberties OF others
cannot lie successfully attacked and tho cnd
of the foolish experiment is clearly in sight
American Labor. which asSuredly is not
represented in any true sense 10y organizations
which assail tho rights Of their ncighbors, has
in this case declared itself Enthusiastically. IL
has indeed put forth no proclamations, made
no formal declarations Of any kind but 1t has
simply and in the most practical manner over
whclmed every attempt 10 set up labor mo-
nopoly, and it has indicated it's intelligence
and its comprehension Of its own rights by
taking and steadily holding. against all opposi-
tion the privilege Of working on It's own terms
and conditions. The plain truth is that Amcri-
can Labor is FIR too large an element TO bc put
in leading strings. Schcmers may plot. mi
noiities may organize but the great body Of
workingmcn will break through all tho nc
straints sought to be imposed upon them, and
will as frccmcn govern their own affairs TO SUIT
themselves. This is the lesson OF all the re
cent strikes. and politicians rs well as pro-
fcssonal labor agitatOrs would do well to heed
it. The true voice Of Labor is heard only IN
times when the truo interests OF Labor are I'm
pcrillcd and at such times IT speaks for The
American idea OF individual liberty with de
cision and force not for a moment TO- bo ms
understood.